1 Week Down…

by jmyleskipp

After only being here for 7 days, I feel like I have been here a month. Long days and long nights has been the theme of my time here thus far. It would be impossible to cover everything that has happened in detail; therefore, I will keep this brief. We spent each day in either small or large group sessions discussing in rigorous detail things like professionalism, core values, and “norms”. Each of the things covered seemed at first very intuitive and not worthy of the large amount of time we spent on each of them. However, we quickly learned that many of these things were not as intuitive as we may have thought, and most of what we already knew we quickly became increasingly more conscious of when and where to apply them. Furthermore, the concept of professionalism has been drill in my head so much that I will be thinking “be professional” every time I enter in a school, work conversation, etc.

The people of TFA LA come from a variety of backgrounds. Some of privileged background and some of them are survivors of the very Achievement Gap we seek to close. As I sat in the closing Induction Ceremony last night I realized I was surrounded in the company of some of the greatest men and women I have ever met. For the first time in my life I felt like relative to those around me I was pretty average and I loved it. We have all shared many personal stories, and some have been emotional enough to bring many to tears (we all know I’m too proud to cry in public though). We have enjoyed night of relaxation and festivities. But most of all we have shared a goal. It is something so important to each of us that it has given us a feeling for one another that stands regardless of how much we like or dislike one another. It gave us a mutual respect for each other.

Tomorrow I begin training. Many refer to it as tiring, draining, the hardest thing they had done to that point, and my favorite “boot camp”. I can’t say I’m scared or phased by these words, but I will take note and approach with my best efforts. Look for my reactions on how it goes at the end of the week. In the mean time, be blessed!